An Afternoon with La Marzocco Home & Desnudo Coffee

Espresso, seasonal ingredients, and a little fall inspiration in East Austin.

La Marzocco loves the chance to invite people into a home to make coffee together. This October, La Marzocco Home partnered with Austin’s own Desnudo Coffee for an afternoon of espresso education, seasonal drink making, and good company.

We gathered in a beautiful home in East Austin, where the kitchen and garden became our classroom for the day. The idea was simple: bring together two teams who love coffee, share a few new skills, and show how easy it can be to get creative with espresso at home.

It All Starts with Espresso

Before making our seasonal drinks, we wanted to get everyone thinking about the espresso itself.

We started with a tasting exercise featuring three small espresso samples, each brewed with a different extraction ratio. Guests were encouraged to taste each one, notice how the flavors changed, and decide which they preferred.

If you want to do the tasting at home, try pulling three espresso shots each one with a different grind size and watered down slightly to help you taste the more complex flavors that can be harder to decipher.

Espresso #1 – 40 seconds (a fine grind size)

Espresso #2 – 30 seconds (a medium grind size)

Espresso #3 – 20 seconds (a coarse grind size)

It was a fun reminder that there’s no single recipe everyone has to love. Small adjustments to how we prepare espresso can make a big difference in the final cup, and understanding those differences is part of becoming a more confident home barista.

With everyone thinking a little more about flavor, we were ready to move on to something seasonal.

A Little Something from Desnudo

Next, the Desnudo Coffee team took over to share their approach to making a seasonal syrup from scratch.

As they walked us through the process, they also talked about the importance of thoughtful sourcing, not just when choosing coffee, but when selecting the ingredients that go into the drinks we make.

It was a great opportunity to think about how the flavors we pair with espresso can complement the coffee rather than overpower it.

The syrup became the flavor for a special fall drink created for the event, designed to be enjoyed either hot or iced.

Once the demonstration wrapped up, guests gathered in smaller groups around the La Marzocco Home machines to build their own drink. With guidance from both teams, everyone had the chance to put their skills to use, pull espresso, and make something delicious.

Make a Little Fall Magic at Home

One of the best things about learning a new coffee recipe is getting to bring it back to your own kitchen.

Whether you prefer your espresso drinks hot or iced, making a seasonal syrup is a fun way to experiment with new flavors and get a little creative with the coffee you already love.

And thanks to Desnudo, we’re excited to share a little piece of our Austin afternoon with you.

Desnudo’s Seasonal Syrup Recipe

Until Next Time, Austin!

A big thank you to the Desnudo Coffee team for sharing their knowledge, creativity, and love for thoughtfully sourced ingredients. And to everyone who joined us, asked questions, made drinks, and stayed a little longer to hang out, thank you for making the afternoon so memorable.

Here’s to good coffee, good company, and making something delicious at home.

Photos by @iamsavpower